Donation brings big smiles to BlueCare
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IT was his relationship with his grandparents that inspired Brendan Ryan to donate to elderly support service BlueCare.
Mr Ryan lost his two grandmothers to dementia when he was in his early 20s, and frustratingly watched their memories fade away.
For the past ten years Mr Ryan has held car shows next to his tyre company, Ryanie for Tyres, to raise money for Warwick BlueCare.
His efforts have provided BlueCare with over $140,000 in donations.
This year he knocked on their door with another huge cheque to help support those suffering with dementia.
He dropped the car show this year and instead hosted a charity dinner at the Warwick Golf Club in May.
And $5250 of his donations went to Warwick BlueCare which hopes to use the money to sponsor a second car to allow more nurses to visit patients in their homes.
Multi service manager Sue Hoopman said she was grateful for Mr Ryan's ongoing support.
Pam Eather, who runs a dementia support group, also received $5250 which will go towards a renovation project the group has been working on to establish a local respite centre.
At the moment, the dedicated volunteers face a lot of red tape and safety regulations.
Mr Ryan said that the project was a must and the wheels were all in motion.
The respite unit will either be a day or overnight facility for carers to drop off dementia sufferers and take a break.
"I just thought it would help the community," Mr Ryan said.
"Both of my grandparents had dementia and it had an effect on me.
"If someone you love starts to develop dementia, it changes your whole life."
Mrs Hoopman said families should watch for the early signs of dementia, with forgetfulness being the most noticeable symptom.
She said some patients often put on inappropriate clothing and got lost in their own homes.
Patients can become frustrated and struggle to understand bills and their finances.
"If you spot these early signs, you need to get to a doctor and BlueCare is also available for help," she said.
To make donations or for further information visit http://www.bluecare.org.au.
DEMENTIA
More than 342,800 Australians live with dementia.
That number is expected to reach almost 900,000 by 2050.
